When the Guardians needed a hero this season, Brayan Rocchio answered the call. The shortstop did it again on Tuesday night, securing the victory against the Chicago White Sox with a two-out, two-strike single down the left field line in the ninth inning that drove in two runs and turned a 6-5 deficit into a 7-6 Cleveland win. "I didn't try to do anything special at that moment," Rocchio said. “I just tried to hit the ball with the bat and see what happened.” It was Rocchio's fourth game-winning hit this season, a major league best. And all were against American League Central Division opponents, including two now against Chicago and their pitcher Grant Taylor (who sent the ball out of the park against the right-hander in July). "He shines in those moments," teammate Travis Bazzana said of Rocchio. "He has so much control. You feel like the pitcher is at a disadvantage." Taylor had already given up a hit and a base on balls in the ninth inning. Then Rocchio went to bat and hit a high, 100 mph fastball, with the count at 0-2, down the left field line. Rookie Sam Antonacci missed the trajectory of the ball and it fell out of reach, allowing Daniel Schneemann and David Fry to score runs. “Honestly, they were very beautiful passes,” said Antonacci. "We just need to improve. It's the first division. You can't make that kind of pass in that position." Chaos broke out on the field, as the Guardians knew how important victory was for their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. They are just a half game behind the leading White Sox as the teams face off on Wednesday in the final game of the regular season series. "It's like last year in September," pitcher Cade Smith said. "When we were playing playoff games for the whole month and a half before the regular season ended. It's been similar for us here." Last season, the Guardians were 11 games out of first place at the beginning of September, but managed to overtake the Detroit Tigers and win the division title. This season, they were six games behind the White Sox a month ago, but have since closed the gap. Since the White Sox have the advantage in the tiebreaker, Cleveland will need to overtake them to win another division title. “These games are important,” Smith said. "They have a lot of relevance." Expect Rocchio to continue to get opportunities in crucial moments. His four game-winning hits against divisional opponents place him tied for the player with the most such hits in a season in the last 50 years. He is the first player to get multiple game-winning hits against the same pitcher in a season since 1930. It was no surprise, then, that Guardians fans were chanting his name when he took to bat on Tuesday. This inspired him to get yet another decisive hit, this time in a crucial September series. "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life," Rocchio said of the chants. "I can't disappoint the fans when they're doing that." Post navigation Tabasco and Toros de Tijuana tied in the LMB final Braves right-handed pitcher Reynaldo Lopez is on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.